Category Archives: National
Delays push cost to rebuild fire-damaged Lytton, B.C., to $102M: insurance bureau
VANCOUVER — Insurance losses from a wildfire that wiped out most of Lytton, B.C., have surged to $102 million. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says the amount has risen from an original estimate of $78 million mostly because of delays in
O’Toole says he opposes Quebec’s plan to ‘tax and target’ the unvaccinated
OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says while he respects provincial jurisdiction, he opposes Quebec's plan "to tax and target" those who are unvaccinated against COVID-19. The Tory leader made his position known on Premier François Legault's pr...
Supreme Court of Canada to review decision on B.C. school trustee’s defamation case
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will look at whether a defamation lawsuit by a school trustee in Chilliwack, B.C., should proceed against the former president of a teachers union. Trustee Barry Neufeld made negative comments in 2017 about how
Ethics committee summons Duclos, Tam on mobile-phone data collection during pandemic
OTTAWA — The House of Commons ethics committee is calling on the health minister to explain the Public Health Agency of Canada’s collection of data from millions of mobile phones to understand travel patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Opposition MP...
Human Rights Watch report criticizes Canada on Indigenous, climate issues
OTTAWA — An international watchdog is taking Canada to task in a new report over what it says are serious domestic and foreign policy challenges on human rights. The annual report of the New York-based Human Rights Watch says that while
Canadian oil can be part of transition if it gets cleaner, IEA head says
OTTAWA — The executive director of the International Energy Agency says Canadian oil and gas can be part of the transition to a clean-energy future if the industry can cut its carbon footprint. A new IEA report on Canada's energy industries
Olympic athletes heading to Beijing warned about Chinese cyber spies
OTTAWA — Athletes representing Canada in the Beijing Winter Olympics next month are being told to take extra precautions against Chinese cyber surveillance, including the danger of electronic devices being infected with spyware. Sports Minister Pascal...
Indigenous inmates face high rates of COVID-19 in federal prisons
OTTAWA — Indigenous federal inmates are infected with COVID-19 at disproportionately high rates. Correctional Service Canada said Wednesday that as of Jan. 10, there are 207 active COVID-19 cases among inmates in federal penitentiaries. Of those cases...
Canadian troops in Ukraine pressing ahead with training mission amid Russia tensions
OTTAWA — The commander of Canadian troops in Ukraine says his soldiers are pressing ahead with their mission — preparing the eastern European country’s military for war — amid the looming threat of a Russian invasion. In an exclusive interview with
Feds give co-operative housing providers extra help to ease rental costs
OTTAWA — The federal government is giving co-operative housing providers millions in funding to ease rental costs, pledging relief for a sector that has sought to find new ways to provide help to tenants. The $118.2 million over seven years is
